All Classic Bars

Recommended Classic Bars

• 
  German/Austrian
  17 West at the Berghoff Loop
  Any outpost to crop up in the shadow of the beloved, much mourned Berghoff has got its work cut out for it. And yet if you were to visit its successor, the awkwardly named 17 West at the Berghoff, without »
• 
  Music venue
  Bucktown Pub Wicker Park/Bucktown
  This neighborhood bar is comfortably middle-of-the-road, too upscale—with its polished wood, framed concert posters on the walls, and dozen craft beers on tap—to be a dive, but still mellow. Old-timers say that its character isn't what it once was, but »
• 
  Bar/Lounge
  Butch McGuire's Gold Coast/Mag Mile/Streeterville
  Practically an icon on Rush Street, this venerable bar and restaurant has been serving the partying masses since the 60s. It’s also a regular stop for locals looking for a quick cheap bite—Wednesday is 40-cent wing night and on Thursday »
• 
  Corner Tap
  California Clipper Humboldt Park
  This neighborhood landmark, complete with vintage neon sign out front, offers a uniquely appealing combination of dive bar affordability and art deco class—nowhere else in the city can you feel quite as Bogart-and-Bacall while kicking back cheap PBRs. Jeans and »
• 
  Classic Bar
  The Charleston Wicker Park/Bucktown
  Some people still complain bitterly about the Charleston's remodeling a couple years ago: gone are the stuffed armadillo, the lamp made from a ram's head, the pool table, and some of the bar's signature quirkiness. But there's still a reel-to-reel »
• 
  Dive Bar
  Chipp Inn West Town/Noble Square
  On a side street hidden from the rest of sleepy Noble Square, the Chipp Inn gives off a homey, Cheersy vibe. The small, bright bar is the only neighborhood joint around, and there are always regulars of varied hipness hanging »
• 
  American
  Coq d'Or Gold Coast/Mag Mile/Streeterville
  This dimly lit hotel bar with wood-paneled walls and live piano music seems like the perfect place to launch an affair. The scotch menu is extensive, and they claim to be the second bar in Chicago to have broken out »
• 
  Bar/Lounge
  The Cove Lounge Hyde Park
  If the vintage marquee or "Welcome U of C Students!" banner don't make you feel all warm and fuzzy, the Croatian grog might. Karlovačko, slightly fruity with a mild body, is one of the Cove's staple bottled brews, with sops »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Happy Village Ukrainian Village/East Village
  With board games and a Ping-Pong room, this is a place you could easily pass a few hours reconnecting with your childhood, and maybe for this reason it attracts a younger crowd than some of the other neighborhood institutions. It »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Hideout Wicker Park/Bucktown  17
  The Hideout’s location, just off Elston in the middle of an industrial corridor, seems like an unlikely one for a bar. But that doesn’t stop lines from forming outside for the dance parties, live music shows, theatrical performances, and soup »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Hungry Brain Roscoe Village  1
  Hungry Brain is one of the coziest spots in Chicago. You've probably passed this small bar over and over and never realized it was there. Its interior is comfortable and lit with the glow of beer signs and Christmas lights. »
• 
  Music venue
  Map Room Wicker Park/Bucktown
  The Map Room honors its name with a huge relief map painted on the wall, flags of the world hanging from the ceiling, and an impressive draft list—24 taps and one firkin—that's roughly half imports, with regular appearances by Stiegl »
• 
  4 AM Bar
  Marie's Riptide Lounge Wicker Park/Bucktown
  Longtime owner Marie Wuczynski died in 2011, but not much else has changed in this old-school bar for quite a while now. The jukebox is still 25 cents a song; the bar, with its classic lights, must date back to »
• 
  American
  Poag Mahone's Loop
  Loop tavern and "carvery" tapped by GQ restaurant critic Alan Richman as offering one of the nation's 20 hamburgers "you must eat before you die."
• 
  Dive Bar
  Rainbo Club Ukrainian Village/East Village  1
  The gorgeous Rainbo is hallowed ground for successive generations of musicians, artists, writers (Nelson Algren among the earliest), and hangers-on, all of whom vie for position on the annual photo-booth calendar—the nonconformist's equivalent of the high school yearbook, issued every »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Richard's Bar River West
  Open since 1926, Richard's Bar is old-school to the bone—the bar menu above the register looks like it hasn't been updated since the 50s, most of the bartenders were probably cracking Old Styles before I existed, and the vibe is »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Rite Liquors Wicker Park/Bucktown
  Rite Liquors isn't just an old-man bar—it's a place to hang out while you're growing old, as many regulars already have in the 90 years this neighborhood slashie has been in business. It’s got an impressive liquor selection, from Woodford »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Simon's Tavern Andersonville
  This longtime, popular Andersonville mainstay ("Your home for gløgg in Chicago") has a solid selection of beers on tap and more than 25 in bottles, along with a number of ciders. It can get packed on weekend nights, but it's »
• 
  Bar/Lounge
  Skylark Pilsen/Little Village
  Fitting nicely into its rather desolate industrial surroundings, Skylark is a relatively no-frills neighborhood bar delivering something much more than a neighborhood-bar experience. The spot—co-owned by the same principals as the Ukrainian Village institution Rainbo—serves better-than-average bar food, including its »
• 
  4 AM Bar
  Underbar Roscoe Village
  As oxymoronic as it may sound, Underbar is a classy 4 AM bar. The inside is dark and candlelit, and the staff has a pretty firm handle on keeping the really drunk people out. The bar boasts an extensive selection »
• 
  Bar/Lounge
  The University of Chicago Pub Hyde Park
  Tucked into the basement of the U. of C.'s Ida Noyes Hall, the Pub is semiprivate, with a $10 annual membership for those affiliated with the University and $3 cover for nonmembers or members' guests. Craft brews abound, including regional »
• 
  Classic Bar
  Village Tap Roscoe Village
  This Roscoe Village standby's main attraction is its beer list: 26 taps rotate a lineup of craft brews and imports sold at reasonable prices. This bar's other claim to fame? A festive enclosed beer garden that's open all year round. »

All Classic Bars

• • The Beetle

    2532 W. Chicago Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60622

    773-384-0701
  • Celtic Knot

    626 Church St.

    Evanston, IL, 60201

    847-864-1679
  • Club Foot

    1824 W. Augusta Blvd.

    Chicago, IL, 60622-4924

    773-489-0379
  • Cuneen's

    1424 W. Devon Ave.

    Chicago, IL,

    773-274-9317
  • Danny's

    1951 W. Dickens

    Chicago, IL, 60647

    773-489-6457
  • Del Toro

    2133 S. Halsted

    Chicago, IL, 60608

    312-733-7144
  • Exchequer Restaurant and Pub

    226 S. Wabash Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60604-2319

    312-939-5633
  • Four Farthings Tavern & Grill

    2060 N. Cleveland Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60614-4514

    773-935-2060
  • Four Treys

    3333 N. Damen Ave.

    Chicago, IL,

    773-549-8845
  • Gallery Cabaret

    2020 N. Oakley Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60647

    773-489-5471
  • The Grafton

    4530 N. Lincoln Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60625-2103

    773-271-9000
  • Green Mill

    4802 N. Broadway

    Chicago, IL, 60640

    773-878-5552
  • Holiday Club

    4000 N. Sheridan Rd.

    Chicago, IL, 60613-2005

    773-348-9600
• • J&M Tap

    957 N. Leavitt St.

    Chicago, IL, 60622-4810

    No phone
  • John Barleycorn

    658 W. Belden Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60614

    773-348-8899
  • Liberty Lounge

    3341 N. Western Ave

    Chicago, IL,

    773-709-1401
  • Lottie's Pub

    1925 W. Cortland St.

    Chicago, IL, 60622

    773-489-0738
  • Miller's Pub

    134 S. Wabash Ave.

    Chicago, IL, 60603-5604

    312-263-4988
  • Mulligans Public House

    2000 W. Roscoe St.

    Chicago, IL,

    773-549-4225
  • Norman's Bistro

    1001 E. 43rd St.

    Chicago, IL, 60653
  • Rhythm Room

    1715 N. Maple Ave.

    Evanston, IL, 60201

    847-491-9723
  • River Shannon

    425 W. Armitage Ave.

    Chicago, 60614,

    312-944-5087
  • R.J. Grunts

    2056 N. Lincoln Park West

    Chicago, IL, 60614-4708

    773-929-5363
  • The Spot

    4437 N. Broadway St.

    Chicago, IL, 60640

    773-728-8933
  • Zebra Lounge

    1220 N. State St.

    Chicago, IL, 60610

    312-642-5140